Taking a tour for a taste of the "luxe" Crystal Symphony while she is in port in Los Angeles.

12.06.12The entrance to the Crystal Symphony Dining Room
I was invited for lunch and a tour of Crystal Symphony when it docked at the World Cruise Center in the Port of Los Angeles a few Sundays ago. This ship hadn't been on my radar for ages. It's been years since I was onboard, and while I knew about several dry dock upgrades, I had only seen the results online. So despite having laundry and other weekend chores, I decided duty beckoned and I'd drag my husband along.

"We're going to lunch on the Crystal Symphony this Sunday?" said my spouse, when I proposed the idea. "There's a big football game I want to watch."

He was not a happy camper but he agreed to make the drive, about an hour or so from our home. When we reached the pier - both of us cranky, thinking of what we wanted or needed to do, instead - our moods lifted when we saw the ship. Our memories of Crystal Cruises were fond, although most relate to sails on what was once Crystal Harmony, and the Symphony's signature sibling, 1070-passenger Crystal Serenity.